LIfe's a beach

The Heron's Nest is about to make like his fine, feathered friends.

In other words, I'm heading to the beach.

I will faithfully report on my latest beach wanderings next week, including my search for the secret to the "zing" that makes a slice of Grotto Pizza on the boardwalk one of the highlights of every summer.

If by any chance you happen to recognize me in the sand, please say hello. I'll be the guy with the T-shirt and hat on, with a towel likely covering his legs. Doctor's orders, you know.

If you should be so braves as to ask, "Hey, aren't you the editor of the Daily Times?" don't be surprised if you get my standard response:

The Daily Numbers -- July 25

The Daily Numbers: 8 and 10, the ages of the children police allege a state trooper believed he was meeting for sex. Instead he was the latest charged in an Internet sex sting.

1 person shot at a house on Roof Road in Brookhaven this morning.

1 person found dead this morning after a fire in a home in New Britain, Bucks County.

10 acres in Upper Darby’s Kent Park. The spot under the Lindbergh Bridge is now the county’s first dedicated dog park.

20 dollar registration fee per household for you and Fido to get access to the park.

4 and a half to 9 years in the slammer for a Phoenixville man convicted in the stabbing of a Cabrini College student.

1 person killed in the latest fatal accident on Route 322, once again affirming its moniker, the “Killer Conchester.”

15 and 12 months in jail respectively for James Battista and Thomas Martino, two old high school buddies of disgraced former NBA ref Tim Donaghy, for their role in the betting ring that shook the league.

3 people arrested in what police are describing as a prostitution operation that was being run out of a spa in Berwyn on the Main Line.

2 dollar hike in parking fees being proposed for short-term parking at Philadelphia International Airport.

4 people recovering after lightning strikes during Wednesday night’s wild storms, including a Bethel Township police officer and volunteer firefighter.

1,100 dollar bonus for Philadelphia’s white-collar workers under a one-year extension on their contract. They will not get a pay raise.

2.6 million dollars in heroin seized by Philadelphia police responding to a burglary in the Frankford section.

2 cent dip in gas prices in the Philadelphia region. Average price is now $4.07 a gallon.

40 minutes late for the game yesterday for Jimmy Rollins, which earned him a seat on the bench.

1 run surrendered by 45-year-old left-hander Jamie Moyer. It wasn’t good enough as the Phils fell, 3-1.

0 for 13, what Chase Utley went for the series at Shea. That’s what you call a slump.

7 hits for the anemic Phils’ attack against the Mets yesterday.

3 games against the Braves starting tonight back in the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park.

1 Eagle missing as the deadline arrived for vets to arrive at camp at Lehigh. No, not Brian Westbrook, or Lito Sheppard for that matter. Shawn Andrews is attending to personal business.

*

Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.So how do fans react when Jimmy Rollins is announced in the bottom of the first tonight at Citizens Bank Park? It’s going to be a lovely night for a ballgame. Maybe Rollins will provide some fireworks.*

I Don’t Get It: When are people going to catch on to the fact that you really don’t know who is on the other end of those Internet chat lines. I don’t get it.

*

Today’s Upper: Don’t look now but gas prices are headed down. I’m seeing several locations now under $4 a gallon.

*

Quote Box: “It is certainly a sad day for the Pennsylvania State Police.”

A state trooper gets stung

Now I know a lot of readers will not be all that surprised by that. They consider me somewhat befuddled most of the time.

But I will repeat, exactly when are people going to realize that you have no idea who the person you are “chatting” with online really is?

Some caveats here. This comes from someone who has never been on an Internet chat room. I have no page on Facebook. MySpace is a mystery to me.

I spend an inordinate amount of time every day planted in front of a computer, much of it online, yet much of this brave new cyber-world remains a mystery to me.

I’m not at all sure that’s necessarily a bad thing.

Of all people, you would think that one person who would understand exactly these new-fangled rules of the Internet would be a state trooper.

You would think that Cpl. Albert Silveri would be well aware of the work being done online by the county Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

You want the hair on your neck to stand on end? Talk to some of these undercover agents about their work, about what is going on in this cyber-world, and about how fast they hook up after they log on. It’s almost always the same, men looking for sexual relationships with kids.

District Attorney G. Michael Green, with a couple of state troopers at his side yesterday, announced the latest person stung by the undercover officers.

This one was a stunner. Silveri was a veteran trooper, assigned to the Belmont Barracks. He lives in Aston.

The trooper is charged with trying to set up a liaison with who he believed to be a mother and her two young children, ages 8 and 10.

Green said he went by the online handle of “StrongWilled07.”

“It is certainly a sad day for the Pennsylvania State Police,” said Maj. Tedescung Bandy, who was at the press conference with Green.

And a frightening one for the rest of us, especially for parents.

One more time. You don’t know who is on the other end of that “chat” line. Maybe it’s a mom looking to peddle her kids. Or maybe it’s an undercover officer.

The fact is you just don’t know. That apparently is not enough to stop those trolling the cyber-world from rolling the dice.

That’s what Silveri, a respected state trooper, did on more than one occasion.

He learned, as have many others, that while this Internet world has its thrills, reality bytes.

On Tuesday, Silveri was in Lima District Court as part of his duties as an accident investigator.

On Thursday he was in Aston District Court being arraigned on sex charges, the latest crash on the information superhighway.

I hope at some point someone can explain to me why, what it is that these people don’t get.

Jimmy not on a roll

Let’s make this clear: Jimmy Rollins is wrong.

Rollins is the reigning National League MVP and the supposed leader of the Phillies.

But the leader of the Phillies had a seat on the bench while his punchless teammates lost a crucial Game 3 of their series with the Mets at Shea Stadium yesterday afternoon. In the process they tumbled out of first place for the first time since June 1.

Rollins was benched by Manager Charlie Manuel because he was late arriving at the stadium for the early 12:10 start. That in itself apparently is not news to the Phillies. Rollins has a reputation as being the last guy to arrive at the ballpark, in particular for home games.

He was not on the team bus that transported the Phillies from their hotel to Shea yesterday. He was driving his own car. Why is not exactly clear. What is abundantly obvious is that he did not get to the park when he was supposed to, and Manuel apparently had seen enough.

Perhaps just as telling as the team “leader” who decides he does not need to ride the bus with his mates is the way Rollins reacted.

This of course is not his first trip to the pine courtesy of his manager. Rollins was pulled from a game on June 5 after he failed to run out a pop-up.

That time he sheepishly agreed with the manager’s move to banish him to the bench. Rollins made it clear it was his fault, that Manuel has two rules, to be on time and to hustle.

In that instance, he ignored the hustle part. This time around, it was the on-time factor that he failed.

Rollins was 40 minutes later getting to the park.

But he made it clear this time around he did not agree with the benching.

Rollins, the reigning NL MVP, is not exactly having an MVP season. His production is down in almost every category. The Phillies have consistently struggled to score runs. Part of that has been the vacuum at the top of the lineup. That’s his territory.

Rollins fancies himself a team leader. Last year he boasted that the Phils were the team to beat, and in the process painted a bull’s eye on his back, especially in New York. But Rollins delivered, carrying the Phils to an NL East title.

He was chirping again this year, saying he believed the Phils capable of winning 100 games.

But his play on the field this year has not backed up those words. And his off-field actions are threatening to shred team unity and pose a challenge to Manuel.

Rollins wants to be considered a leader. This year it’s time he started acting like one.

All's well with the Birds, sort of

Take a deep breath, all you green-faced zealots. As opposed to your Phillies, all is well with your Eagles.

Brian Westbrook reported to camp on time last night. The star running back who would like to be paid more like a star running back arrived and addressed his contract situation.

He has a new agent, and hopefully he soon will have a new contract with a whole lot of zeroes on the end of it. The only real question now is just how much money he can pry out of the Eagles’ wallet.

Westbrook clearly is no fool. With little in the way of leverage, other than the psyche of the team and the way it treats its star player, the running back saw nothing to be gained by holding out, which would have cost him $15,000 for every day he missed.

Also showing up on time last night was disgruntled cornerback Lito Sheppard. He wanted a new deal, unhappy with the one that will pay him $2 million in base pay this year. Instead he apparently lost his starting job when the Eagles threw a ton of money at free agent Asante Samuel of the Patriots.

But the big news on reporting day for veterans at Lehigh was supplied not by either Westbrook or Sheppard, but rather by the fairly large absence of giant offensive lineman Shawn Andrews.

He was a no-show, but he claims it’s not because he doesn’t like his contract either. Instead he informed the team he had some personal business he had to attend to, something I suppose that could not be handled last week or last month.

He is likely to report sometime next week.

In the meantime, all’s well with the Birds. Or as well as it can be until they put on the pads today. Then there will be the injuries, who stands out and who does not.

The Daily Numbers -- July 24

2 people believed injured when lightning struck the Bethel Fire House during last night’s storm.

2 people also seriously injured when they were struck by lightning as they huddled under a tree near a swim club in Bucks County late yesterday afternoon.

35,000 residences without power at the height of last night’s powerful storm. This morning PECO has whittled the number down to 5,000.

2 high schools pals of disgraced former NBA ref Tim Donaghy who will be sentenced for their roles in a betting ring today in New York.

3 principals removed from their posts at some of the poorest performing schools in Chester Upland by CEO Gregory Thornton.

40 propane tanks stolen from a business on Route 130 in Willingboro, N.J.

1 new millionaire in New Jersey, where a single winning ticket was sold for the Mega Millions lottery jackpot that was sitting at a cool $126 million.

50 more people who lined up last night in South Philly to berate DRPA for their plan to hike tolls on area bridges.

2 counties in suburban Philadelphia that have made the Forbes magazine list of best places to raise a family. Delco did not make the list, while Chester and Montgomery counties did.

29 inch-long alligator recovered by authorities in Bucks County from a pond in Northampton.

2 to a car, what Philadelphia police officers are now doing after the latest in a series of outages involving their emergency radio system.

4 day work week for the state court system? The move is being opposed by Chief Justice Ron Castille.

652 million dollars being paid by Nasdaq OMX Group to purchase the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.

4 straight walks from Brett Myers to open the game against the Mets last night. It put the Phils in a 2-0 hole.

46 of the 95 pitches thrown by Myers in his 5 innings of work out of the strike zone.

1 three-run blast surrendered by reliever Ryan Madson that was the difference in a 6-3 Mets win.

2 key veterans who will be the focus of all eyes at Eagles Training Camp today. Disgruntled stars Lito Sheppard and Brian Westbrook are due in camp.

54 and 47, the identical records of both the Mets and Phillies as they go into the final game of their series this afternoon. Something has to give.

12:10 starting time for this afternoon’s special at Shea.

*

Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.The Phillies are not going to repeat as NL East champs without getting a whole lot more from Brett Myers than we saw last night. Or maybe it’s time to offer that spot to J.A. Happ.*

I Don’t Get It: Vandalism is one thing. Vandalizing a cemetery is another altogether. Let’s hope police soon corral the “punk kids” they believe are responsible for knocking over 200 headstones in historic Eden Cemetery in Collingdale.

*

Today’s Upper: Yes, it’s summer. That means heat. And humidity. And thunderstorms to break it up. Here’s a tip. It will be light today. It likely will warm up as well as the day goes on, followed by some darkness tonight.

*

Quote Box: “This is a shame.”

-- Jeff Griffith, of Griffith Memorial and Bronze Co, after observing the damage done by vandals in Eden Cemetery.

Usually when we offere accounts of vandalism, it amounts to damage to a car, or a home or business that was targeted. A lot of times spray-paint is involved. I’ve often thought the “tags” you often see so prominently displayed on everything from bridges to buildings is some kind of a way of seeking notoriety, or maybe immortality. You see the “tag” and you know that someone has been there.

But what happened in Eden Cemetery in Collingdale is more disturbing. What was damaged there wasn’t a car, or a piece of property. And it can’t be fixed as easily.

Someone marauded through the historic cemetery and toppled 201 headstones.

This isn’t like taking a spray can to a car. This is someone’s final resting spot. And where loved ones come to pay their final respects.

To intentionally disturb that relationship, to damage that hallowed ground, is beyond thinking. These kids trampled all over this beloved turf.

Of course, that’s exactly it. The person who did this wasn’t thinking. Not of the damage they were committing, nor the loving relationships they were violating.

Police believe this is the work of “punk kids.”

Technically, they may be kids. But this kind of vandalism isn’t kid stuff.

How a heat wave ends

It’s going to be hot. That might come as news to our friends in TV. We kind of think it’s standard procedure. In other words, we don’t stop the presses every time we get a dose of high humidity.

You also can pretty much count on a heat wave a couple times every summer. The temperature will reach 90 degrees. Again, that doesn’t exactly register on our Richter scale. Hit 90 degrees three days in a row and we refer to that as a heat wave, though it should not comes as much of a surprise when that happens in July.

And one final thing. You can be pretty much assured how a heat wave is going to end. Yep, the skies are going to open up and Mother Nature is going to vent all that built-up heat and humidity in a wild display that can rival most Fourth of July celebrations.

Pretty much right on schedule, storms rolled across the region last night, with monsoon-like rain, high winds, and spectacular lightning displays.

As beautiful as it is, lightning is nothing to be trifled with. It is best viewed from a distance.

No one really wants an up-close and personal experience. But that’s apparently what a police officer in Bethel got, when he may have been struck by lightning when a bolt rocked the fire house last night.

The officer and volunteer firefighter were transported to Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Thankfully, both are going to be all right.

Things were more serious in Bucks County, where a woman and small child were struck as they huddled under a tree at a local swim club.

Phils mired in Myers

Myers was less than scintillating in his return from a stint in the minor leagues in an attempt to put his game back together.

It did not take Myers long to take the glow off the Phils’ miracle win Tuesday night, when they scored six runs in the ninth to bet their New York rivals.

Myers went to the mound looking to find the swagger that once made him a dominating starter. He’s still looking. He apparently hasn’t found his control either.

Myers walked the first four batters he faced, giving the Mets a 2-0 head start. On the night he only gave up three hits.

He lasted just five innings, surrendering five walks in total and also hitting one batter. He left with the game tied, 3-3, so he didn’t factor in the decision. At least that’s what the boxscore says.

Fans know differently. They were looking for a sign that Myers was back. What they got instead was an ominous sign that this season, once so full of promise, is now full of questions. Myers may be the biggest riddle of them all.

How long do the Phils keep sending him out to the mound in hopes he finds his game?

Today they will send crafty veteran Jamie Moyer to the hill in the series finale. Maybe Myers should take notes.

They are once again dead even with the Mets. The winner of today’s 12:10 start will exit the series with a one-game lead.

Phillies’ management will leave New York with much the same question they had going in. What happened to Brett Myers?

The Daily Numbers -- July 23

The Daily Numbers: 13 people arrested Tuesday in an illegal gambling operation dubbed by the cops “Operation Delco Nostra.”

22,000 dollars in bets, that police say the ring took in during just one week in 2004.

4 Augustinian priests and 1 brother currently installed at Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill. Yesterday the order announced it would withdraw the priests from the school because of their dwindling ranks.

30 to 60 years in slammer for man convicted of shooting a Glenolden police officer during a domestic disturbance.

2,000 dollars in restitution to be paid by a Marple teen to fix graffiti on buildings along West Chester Pike.

81 to 32, the vote by which unionized Children and Youth Services workers approved their new contract yesterday.

2 men busted in connection with a huge pot seizure in Folcroft. Officers last week seized 221 pounds of pot in bales with a street value of $440,000.

500,000 dollars delivered to Upper Darby yesterday by U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak for the revitalization of Market Street.

500,000 dollars being donated to Delaware County Community College by Sunoco Foundation to help pay for a new science and technology building.

10 people who suffered minor injuries when three trolleys collided in Center City yesterday afternoon.

2 deaths now being attributed to the recent 7-day heat wave in the region.

2 years in a special drug treatment program for Garrett Reid, son of Eagles head coach Andy Reid. If he leaves the program or does not complete it, the younger Reid will face some serious jail time.

4 years probation and the loss of her driver’s license for a Wayne woman who copped a plea on charges she was under the influence when she drove erratically in a construction zone on the Schuylkill Expressway and slammed into a police cruiser.

40 minutes last night when the problem-plagued Philadelphia police radio system was down again.

44 age of Kennett Square man who was killed as he floated down the Brandywine in a kayak in Wilmington when a large tree fell on him.

10 million dollars given by the DRPA to the Chester soccer stadium proposal, a point not missed by those at a public hearing last night who blasted the agency for a new rate hike request.

38 age of woman in Bucks County who was held for trial yesterday on charges she had sex with two teen boys during a booze-fueled sleepover at a friend’s house.

3.089 billion dollars in lottery sales reported by the state last year. That’s an increase of $13 million from the previous year.

5 out of 40, where Philadelphia ranks in terms of its walkability, according to the Web site Walkscore.com. We’re behind only San Francisco, New York Boston and Washington.

8.86 billion dollars lost last quarter by banking giant Wachovia Corp. They also announced they are cutting 6,350 jobs.

1 cent hike in the price of gasoline in the Philly region. Average price now stands at $4.09.

*

Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Mark down last night’s date. July 22. If the Phils defend their NL East title, last night’s dramatic come-from-behind win over the Mets is a big reason why.*

I Don’t Get It: Remember that case of the millions in legislative bonuses doled out for staffers doing political work in Harrisburg? It’s likely they will not be asked to pay any of the money back. I don’t get it.

*

Today’s Upper: Here’s an idea that might hold some merit. If we can use GPS systems to be sure we don’t get lost, why not use the technology to protect our kids as well. The state attorney general yesterday indicated he wanted to use GPS system to track the locations of some convicted sex offenders.

*

Quote Box: “I just hope this isn’t the start of the decline of Monsignor Bonner High School.”

-- Art Hunter, Class of 1968 and former Bonner hoops coach, on news that the Augistinian fathers will remove the few remaining priests from the school.

A losing bet

Is it me or is the state taking an increasingly dim view of illegal gambling?

In recent weeks the state Gaming Control Board awarded grants to local municipalities to crack down on illegal slot machines. Delaware County got a chunk of money.

Then last week, a phalanx of state police and agents from the state Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement descended on a Ridley Township tavern, seizing a video poker machine, a video slot machine, some gambling paraphernalia and $15,000 in cash.

Tuesday the state upped the ante, in a manner of speaking. Police announced the results of a six-year probe into a huge illegal gambling ooperation in the county with the arrest of 17 people in an operation they dubbed “Operation Delco Nostra.”

The ring specialized in those long traditions of organized crime, bookmaking, illegal gambling and loan-sharking.

The operation had ties to organized crime figures in Philadelphia, and was taking in as much as a million dollars a month. Authorities said that in one week the operation, allegedly directed by Nicholas “Nicky the Hat” Cimino of Wallingford, took in more than $200,000 in wagers.

Police say Cimino ran what amounted to a casino out of a non-descript building on MacDade Boulevard.

In a way, the state is merely protecting its investment. In case you missed it, the state is now in the gambling business. We’re not talking about the lottery.

We’re talking about those glittering casinos – and the their thousands of legal slot machines -- that take in millions every week. One of them is located not far away from the dingy building on MacDade that police say was the hub of this illegal operation.

What’s it mean? The state is getting serious about illegal gambling. For years a lot of people looked the other way at the pervasive illegal slots that operated in taverns and other social clubs across the county.

Apparently, not anymore. That’s now competition. The state wants you to drop that money at Harrah’s, not your local tavern.

Besides, it’s legal at Harrah’s. It’s not at the neighborhood tap. And 17 people learned that the hard way this week.

What the state is saying is that it’s no more Mr. Nice Guy when it comes to illegal gambling. Roll the dice on this one and it’s increasingly likely you’ll come out a loser.

Shea it's 'So,' Phillies fans

They were looking up at the Mets, having gone for the most part meekly for eight innings against ace lefty Johan Santana.

They were about to kiss their long stay in first place in the National League East goodbye.

They were a team with no pulse, about to have the sheet pulled up over them, a stinging loss in the first of a crucial three-game series at Shea Stadium.

Then something magical happened. Mets Manager Jerry Manuel took out the paddles, placed them on the Phillies’ chests, and jolted them back to life.

In so doing, he may have altered the course of the season. Instead of holding a one-game lead over the Phils, his team suffered an unimaginable collapse, one that surely will hang over the team as they strive mightily to put last year’s epic el foldo as the Phils slipped past them on the last day of the season behind them.

The Mets came into the series with momentum on their side, and were looking to deliver a kill shot on the listless Phillies.

The New Yorkers went into the ninth inning with everything going for them, not the least of which was a 5-2 lead.

What they did not take into the ninth was Santana. He was lifted after dazzling the Phils for eight innings, limiting them to two runs on eight hits.

The Mets did not have closer Billy Wagner available. He was suffering back spasms. Still Jerry Manuel elected to go to his bullpen instead of letting Santana try to get those final three outs.

The Phillies promptly scored six runs. “So” unusual was the Phils’ rally that the forgotten man on the roster, So Taguchi, delivered the key hit, a double over the head of Mets’ right-fielder Endy Chavez.

It’s the kind of win that can define a season. And as the Mets know all too well, it’s the kind of loss that also can define a season.

The Mets thought they had put this Phillies hex business behind them. They thought wrong.

A month’s worth of work went up in smoke in a disastrous ninth inning.

If the Phils successfully defend their NL East title, last night will be a big reason why.

And in New York, they will likely grumble for days about the decision not to send their multi-million dollar ace Santana back out for the ninth.

2 days, how long a man police say was trying to break into a business in Chester Township hung in the window after he slipped and broke his neck. The man suffered fatal injuries.

130 union members who staff the county’s Children and Youth Services who will vote on a new contract offer from the county. The two sides are trying to avoid a walkout.

6 straight days in which the temperature has hit 90 degrees. We should make it a week with No. 7 today.

1 dollar increase being proposed for tolls on the Delaware River bridges, including the Commodore Barry. The first of 2 public hearings on the rate hikes, which would see the toll go to $4 bucks in September and eventually to $5 in 2010, is tonight.

550,000 dollar fine lodged against CBS in the now infamous Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” from the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that was tossed out yesterday.

8 trolley passengers sickened when smoke filled several cars during a fire in a tunnel in West Philly yesterday.

1,251 people who have been sickened in the latest tainted food salmonella outbreak. Fed probers now believe it is linked to a specific jalapeno pepper.

1 teen being charged in the fatal shooting of an African immigrant during a robbery of his store in Philly last week.

50 shots fired between police and a suspect during a confrontation with a murder suspect in Philadelphia yesterday. The suspect was wounded; no police were injured.

1 bullet that struck a young mother in the head when she was caught in the crossfire of a gun battle in Wilmington, Del., yesterday. She died of her injuries.

4 gunshots suffered by a man who was reffing a basketball game on the courts at 33rd and Diamond in Philadelphia yesterday. He was treated at a local hospital.

61 percent increase in number of calls from people who have run out of gas being reported by the Allstate Motor Club.

4 cent dip in price of gas over weekend. Average price of regular in Philly region is now $4.10.

10 minutes, about what it took the Eagles to sell 12,000 standing-room-only tickets to this year’s regular season games.

3 games between the Phillies and Mets, starting tonight at Shea Stadium. The teams are dead even atop the NL East.

4.96 ERA of new Phillies starter Joe Blanton, who takes the mound for the first time tonight in the series opener.

*Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Football season can wait. Call me if there’s a serious injury at Eagles camp. Or if Brian Westbrook decides to hold out. Right now this is a baseball town. Bring on the Mets.*I Don’t Get It: Larry Mendte. All together now. What was he thinking about?

*Today’s Upper: Don’t like the idea of paying higher tolls to use the Commodore Barry Bridge? You can tell the DRPA what you think about it at two public hearings on the rate hike request, tonight at the Rutgers-Camden campus and tomorrow night at the Philly Cruise Terminal, 5100 S. Broad St.

*Quote Box: “The mere accessing and reading of privileged information is criminal. This case, however, went well beyond just reading someone’s e-mail.”

Dropping anchor

By now you may have heard about Larry Mendte. He is, or was, after all, a TV news anchor. In Philadelphia, that makes him a superstar.

We have a tendency to glorify the people who bring us the news via the tube every day. I can assure you the same does not hold true for newspaper editors. There are days when I’m glad about that. There is a comfort in the anonymity that comes, for the most part, with this job.

I actually did have a recent brush with TV, appearing on a statewide cable show on the Pennsylvania Cable Network. It was not a horrible experience. At least until I started hearing from people who had seen it. They all wanted to know if I was feeling OK. Then I saw the show myself. It looked like I was having a heart attack. I had a ghost-like appearance. Or, as I believe I correctly summed it up, I looked approximately like “death eating a cracker.”

I’ll confine my commentaries to the newspaper, thank you. No, our salaries do not approach the stratospheric heights of those of Larry Mendte or Alycia Lane. No one ever went into the newspaper business to get rich. A lot of us did not get into this racket to be glorified gossip columnists either. But we try to deliver what the public wants. Or maybe it’s what they crave.

And right now they crave every bit of information they can get about Larry Mendte and Alycia Lane.

Me? I have just one question. What the hell was Mendte thinking about? Here’s a guy who was respected in the community, basically the face of his station’s news-gathering operation. For that he was paid handsomely. Apparently, not quite handsomely enough.

It appears Mendte developed something of an obsession about his co-anchor, the exotic Lane. Maybe it was the fact that she made more money than he did. Or that people were starting to whisper that the station’s rise in the ratings was more the result of her photogenic presence, than his solid anchorman aura.

Whatever it was, Mendte apparently went haywire.

Yesterday he was charged with a single felony for accessing Lane’s e-mail accounts. It doesn’t sound like that big a deal, until you read the case the feds built against him.

That one charge of accessing e-mail without authorization stems from Mendte’s tapping into Lane’s private e-mail accounts.

This is where it gets a bit mind-boggling. According to the feds, Mendte did not do this on a rare occasion. He did it repeatedly. Not a dozen times. Hot a hundred times. But hundreds of times. From the office. From his home. From his vacation home.

The feds say Mendte hacked into Lane’s account no less than 537 times in 146 days. Then they believe he leaked that information to a newspaper reporter.

Why? Maybe to make her look bad and bump up his own stature at the station. Lane had issues of her own. She had a well-publicized dust-up with police in New York City. It was the latest in a string of incidents that put her on the front page of the tabloids. It also cost her the seat next to Mendte’s.

Now Mendte also has been booted from his anchor post.

Our front page today screams, “Anchors Away.”

I really only have one question, the same one I’ve been asking since this Mendte angle to the story first surfaced.

What the hell was he thinking?

And one other thing, one that I take some small comfort in when my often comatose head hits the pillow at night.

The Week from Hell

Remember yesterday when I admitted I like this kind of weather? The hotter, the more humid, the better I like it.

Like living in a sponge? Count me in. I know it’s summer when I can get up in the morning, throw on a pair of shorts and T-shirt, and head out to grab the paper and still be perfectly comfortable.

I think part of me simply longs for the days of my youth. When I was growing up, our house did not have air-conditioning. Our bedrooms were on the second floor. Yes, it used to be stifling. But we never really thought of it. If it got too hot, we simply slept on the floor downstairs or on the porch.

The truth is, I don’t like air-conditioning. I never use it when I’m in the car. When I’m alone, that is. My family is not nearly enamored of this kind of weather as I am. I think it’s because they simply grew up with air-conditioning.

I don’t like it at home. I don’t like it in the office. I am usually the one complaining about how cold it is in the newsroom, and secretly flipping off the A.C. when I get the chance.

So today we will hit Day 7 of our current heat wave. Some might call it the Week from Hell. Literally.

Not me. I’ll simply refer to it as 7th Heaven. Or maybe the heat and humidity have finally fried my brain.

It's still baseball season

Remember the days when the baseball season would have ended yesterday?

For too many summers, the Phils would be mired with a losing record, hopelessly out of the race.

Salvation was a shimmering mirage off in the distance of another red-hot summer. In other words, the first day of Eagles training camp.

Yes, the Birds are back at Lehigh University in Allentown. Veterans and rookies reported Monday. Andy Reid, resplendent in his finest Hawaiian shirt, addressed the media late yesterday afternoon. The rest of the team’s veterans are expected to show up Thursday.

But this isn’t most summers. Tonight the Phillies open a dramatic three-game set at Shea Stadium in New York against the hated Mets. The teams are dead even, tied atop the National League East.

The Phils send newly acquired starter Joe Blanton to the mound tonight. He gets the pleasure of going mano a mano with Mets’ ace Johan Santana. There’s more drama tomorrow night when Brett Myers returns to the Phils’ starting rotation after a stint in the minors in an attempt to get his troubled season back on track.

For now, the Eagles are not the big sports story in town. At least until Thursday. That’s when Brian Westbrook either will or will not show up for camp. Westbrook, the motor that makes the Eagles’ offense go, is unhappy with his deal with the Birds. He wants more money. He’s probably worth every penny of it. Right now it’s simply a matter of how much the Eagles will fork over.

The Daily Numbers -- July 21

The Daily Numbers: 7 shootings, 9 people wounded and 1 dead. That’s the weekend toll on the streets of Philadelphia.

14 times, what one person was shot as he sat in a parked car in the city’s Parkside neighborhood. He died of his injuries.

1 person stabbed to death after a domestic argument in Upper Darby.

6 straight days with temperatures in the 90s in our current heat wave. We are expected to make it 7 in a row on Tuesday. Maybe it’s the heat that’s causing so much violence.

2 teens injured when their jet skis collided in the water near Cap May, N.J..

12 foot-high bronze statue of a race horse that was stolen from the entrance to the former Garden State Park. It was recovered by police.

3 Mongtomery County towns where residents are being asked to boil their water before use. They are Norristown, East Norriton and Plymouth Township.

100 years of law enforcement being celebrated by the FBI. The Philly office is holding public tours of their HQ at the federal building at 600 Arch Street Tuesday.

17 age of male teen who drowned in a lake off the Delaware River in Carneys Point, N.J.

15 dollar dip in the price of a barrel of crude oil. It’s now below $130 a barrel after starting the week at $145 a barrel.

4.11 a gallon for regular, that’s the average price in the Philly region. I actually saw some stations over the weekend where prices have dipped under the $4 mark.

53 wins and 46 losses for both the Phillies and Mets. They’re dead even atop the NL East. They play 3 games starting Tuesday night in New York.

2 runs and 4 hits given up by Cole Hamels yesterday against the Marlins. Wasn’t enough as the anemic Phils fell in 11 innings.

1 as in Day 1 for Eagles training camp, with rookies and some invited veterans reporting to Lehigh.

4 year deal for wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who signed with the Eagles Sunday.

1 player still not under contract as camp begins. That would be top pick defensive lineman Trevor Laws.

*Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.The fightin’ Phils are looking to be just that. This team can go one of two ways at this point. They can either come completely unglued or rally to defend their NL East title.*I Don’t Get It: It’s the middle of July. And we’re having temperatures in the 90s. That does not strike me as news, despite what they say on TV.

*Today’s Upper: You can almost understand what drove a group of family members to seek their own kind of justice against the man charged with the murder of their loved one. Almost. Not doing so is what separates us from the Wild, Wild, West.

*Quote Box: “There’s no doubt in my mind that the crowd of family, friends, probably would have killed this guy.”

-- Upper Darby top cop Mike Chitwood, talking about an instance when family members pummeled a man suspected of killing their loved one.

A little street justice in Upper Darby

Upper Darby top cop Mike Chitwood has a reputation as being a no-nonsense kind of guy. He speaks in fairly plain terms about some of the people he encounters in his line of work.

But Saturday night Chitwood and his officers were beaten to the punch. Literally.

Police were investigating a fatal stabbing that occurred on Atlantic Avenue in the township’s Stonehurst section.

A barbecue Saturday night turned tragic. Police say a 44-year-old man plunged a knife into his girlfriend during an argument.

But the woman’s family apparently got to the guy before authorities did.

A female officer who was guarding the crime scene observed several people getting into a car at about 4 a.m. She followed them to a service station at 69th Street and Marshall Road. That’s where they caught up with the man who police believe stabbed their loved one.

Police say the group set upon Keith “Butch” Thomas, 44, and were in the process of doling out some “street justice,” pummeling and kicking the suspect.

Officers managed to break it up, but not before the family of victim Diane Barrow got their pound of flesh. Chitwood believes the situation likely would have been even more severe if officers had not intervened. Two officers suffered injuries during the melee.

No charges have been filed against any of the family members. Thomas is charged with murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses.

It's not the heat, or the humidity

No, my brain is not fried. I have not been sitting out in the sun too long. I have, however, been enjoying these steamy temperatures, safely ensconced on my screened-in porch.

Granted, I don’t exactly do a lot, other than sit and read. By the way, am I the only one who finds it increasingly difficult to read for any length of time without nodding off? It now takes me forever to read a book. For the most part my book reading is limited to weekends. I set up shop on the screened-in porch, fire up the iPod (actually it’s my wife’s; she got me a docking station to play it for Father’s Day), and I usually polish off a few pages before the eyes start to go south. The next thing I know someone is dashing out of the air-conditioned confines of the house to see if I have lapsed into a coma in the heat.

This weekend I also managed to catch all three Phils’ games on the radio on the porch. Not that it wasn’t painful. Not the temperature, the way the Phils are playing.

My wife and I are walkers and we try to knock that out fairly early in the morning. But I have to admit that at the height of yesterday’s heat, I grabbed a golf club, headed for the local park, and worked on my chipping and pitching. Hey, I never actually get to play golf, so why not pretend that I do.

Besides, I had just witnessed a guy who’s a year older than I am suffer still one more incredible collapse on a golf course. Of course, Greg Norman wasn’t exactly hacking it around some muni.

Norman started the day as the leader of the British Open at Royal Birkdale. One of the things I love about this tournament is that because of the time change, most of the action airs live here during the morning hours. You can catch the tournament and still have most of the day in front of you.

When Norman strode to the first tee, anyone familiar with his career kind of feared what would happen next. I was pulling for him, but you sort of knew this was going to be a train wreck. Norman, who has won two Open championships, did not disappoint. After being the unlikely leader at 53 years of age, Norman looked every day of it Sunday.

He’s been there before. His collapse in the Masters, after being up by eight strokes and then throwing it all away to Nick Faldo, is one of sports’ epic collapses. Then there are the number of miracle shots that cost him titles.

Of course Norman immediately posted two bogies to fall into a tie. To his credit, the Aussie once known as the Great White Shark actually rallied to retake the lead, but he gassed out down the stretch, finishing third.

For us, we’re looking at still one more day of life in the 90s. We are due to hit the low 90s again Tuesday, which would make it seven straight days.

Doesn’t bother me in the least. Bring ‘em on. I’ll be out on the porch tonight. Poring over the papers. At least until I nod off again. And force another member of the family to venture out into the heat to rouse from another midsummer night’s dream.

The Fightin' Phils

Don’t look now, but your fightin’ Phils are becoming just that.

To put it kindly, this is not exactly the way the Phils wanted to come out of the blocks in the second half of the season. The Phillies dropped two of three in South Florida. But it was the way they went about their business that got the veins in manager Charlie Manuel’s neck bulging.

The Phils were sloppy. They played poor defense. Their offense continues to be anemic. And they continue to struggle with the kind of fundamentals – such as moving runners – that is supposed to be taken care of here in South Florida a few months earlier, as in spring training.

After the Phils wasted another gem from Cole Hamels, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Marlins in 11 innings, Manuel apparently had seen enough.

The skipper aired out his troops after the loss, letting them know he’s none too happy with their offense and lethargic play.

The Phillies were one for six with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.

This team simply does not do the little things that make an offense go when they are not hitting home runs. How many times have they got a runner into scoring position on second base with less than two outs and the next batter fails to move the runner to third? They don’t sacrifice especially well. They don’t hit behind the runner. They don’t take pitches. They continue to pop out or strike out in key situations.

There are signs that Manuel may not be the only one tiring of the Phils’ act. After another no-decision in a game in which he gave up just two runs on four hits, young star Cole Hamels was starting to sound frustrated.

That would give him something in common with Pat Burrell. He sounds like he’s getting more and more ticked with the idea of being lifted for late-innings defense, then missing key at-bats when the game goes into extra innings.

They have a day off today, then go into the cauldron of the Big Apple.

The Phils are now in a dead-even tie with the Mets, with the Marlins just a half-game back.

Maybe they can take out some of their frustration on the New Yorkers. Either that or they will have to do what they did last year, come from behind to catch the Mets down the stretch.

I don’t think they can count on the Mets folding up the way they did last year. Maybe there’s something about being in first place in the NL East that makes teams play tight.

The Daily Numbers -- July 18

The Daily Numbers: 221 pounds of pot seized in a raid in Folcroft. It has a street value of $440,000.

6,500 dollars worth of weed nabbed in another raid, this one in Upper Darby, where 3 to 5 pounds were seized.

96 degrees, our expected high this afternoon. We’re under an excessive heat warning.

104 the real-feel temperature of how it will feel out there.

4 more days with temperatures in the 90s, as the heat wave is expected to drag on through Tuesday.

30 Middletown residents tabbed to take part in what is called a “charrette,” a panel discussion targeting the proposed development of the old Franklin Mint site on Baltimore Pike.

181 dollars more, what it will cost students to attend West Chester, Cheyney or one of the other state universities. A 3.5 percent hike was approved yesterday.

3.7 percent tax hike included in the final budget adopted by the Marple Newtown School Board.

15 weekends in jail for a Havertown man who was charged with DUI while riding his bicycle in Montgomery County.

3 men captured on video being beaten after their arrest by Philadelphia police who were held for trial yesterday. Their families are irate, insisting the police have the wrong men.

7 out of 10 people who responded to a poll by AAA who said they are cutting down on spending in other areas to pay for gasoline.

182 single-engine planes being put up for sale by Pennsylvania state police.

51 age of Australian biking coach who is being charged with the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Northampton County.

17 million dollars being poured into a rejuvenation project for the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philly.

10 summary counts of animal cruelty and 3 misdemeanors being lodged against an Amish farmer in Chester County because of conditions in the dog kennel he runs there.

5 newstands lifted right off the street in Philly. A man has been acquitted of all charges that he stole them.

5 wins and 12 losses this year for Joe Blanton with the A’s. The Phils acquired the right-handed pitcher for 3 prospects.

4.96 ERA for Blanton, who will take Adam Eaton’s spot in the rotation.

0 game lead in the NL East for the Phils. They’re now tied with the Mets. The Marlins are 1.5 games back.

10 straight wins for the Mets, who won again last night in their return from the All-Star break.

*Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Joe Blaton will never be confused with Nolan Ryan. But he’s an upgrade for the Phils’ pitching staff. Anything to get Adam Eaton out of the starting rotation.*I Don’t Get It: Lots of people are no doubt sleepy this morning because they just had to be first in line to catch the midnight showings of the new Batman flick last night. Including my son. I don’t get it.

*Today’s Upper: Very nice gesture by someone who showed up at Pam Jones’ Ridley home with a new puppy to replace the one she lost, allegedly at the hands of her sword-wielding husband.

*Quote Box: “He told he me hear heard about my story and he asked me if I wanted to have her.”

-- Pam Jones on the anonymous stranger who delivered the new pooch to her home.

Justice for Keith Crego

Judging by the responses to our Web site and some of the calls and e-mails I am getting, there seems to be no shortage of folks upset that Keith Crego is being allowed to take part in a work-release program.

Crego, in case you don’t know, is the one-man wrecking crew who wreaked havoc on the Penn-Delco School District last year. The former school board president eventually was charged with a series of felonies, most tied to his secret involvement with Quick Start Preschools LLC, a very popular program in the district that he had surreptitiously bankrolled.

Of course Crego did not go down alone. He took a lot of people with him, not the least of which was respected Superintendent Leslye Abrutyn. She also entered a plea tied to a connection she had with Quick Start.

And he left a shroud over the school district that the good people of Brookhaven, Aston and Parkside are still trying to dig out of.

But the fact is that Crego got what was coming to him – including his sentence and his new spot in the work-release program.

Would anyone want to trade places with the guy? Here’s someone who was a heartbeat away from being the new CEO of the Chester Upland School District.

Now he’s ruined, and left a school district in ruins.

The D.A.’s office and county detectives did an exhaustive investigation. The deal they entered into put Crego behind bars for a year. And it’s not like he’s been released. Under the work-release program, Crego still returns to jail each night.

As much damage as Crego did, it’s important that he not be treated any differently than any other convict. That includes his eligibility for work release.

Judge Barry Dozor actually rejected the first application Crego made for the program because he didn’t like some of the details.

Bottom line? Keith Crego got what he deserved. And he still is.

Granted, that may not make everyone who lives in the district happy, but it is the way our system works.

Simply Amazin'

The Phillies start the second half of the season tonight in first place.

But they are no longer alone. The Mets won last night, picking up right where they left off before the break. That makes 10 straight wins for the Amazin’s.

More importantly, it brings them into a tie with the Phils, who open a three-game set tonight in Florida against the Marlins.

The Phillies did get something important accomplished during the break. Last night GM Pat Gillick pulled the trigger on a deal to plug a huge hole in their starting rotation.

The Phils acquired starting right-hander Joe Blanton from the A’s for three minor league prospects. Blanton’s not a Cy Young candidate, but he’s better than anything the Phillies can send out to the mound other than Cole Hamels.

He muzzled the Phils’ bats in Oakland during their recent West Coast swing. He’ll fill Adam Eaton’s spot nicely. Eaton goes to the bullpen, and everyone holds their breath to see just what Brett Myers has in his tank when he returns to the team next week.

Let the second-half begin. A prediction? The Phils and Mets take turns at the top of the NL East all summer, but the New Yorkers gain some measure of revenge for their collapse last year by nipping the Phils on the final weekend of the season.

The Daily Numbers -- July 17

The Daily Numbers: 33 buildings in a sprawling Ridley Township apartment complex where residents are being evicted because their landlord has not fixed ongoing problems.

280.5 million dollars, value of deal to build helicopters that will see Boeing team with the Italian giant Finmecannica and their subsidiary, AgustaWestland.

25 accidents in Haverford Township tied to deer on the roads. The township is again contemplating a hunt to thin the hered.

30 days in the slammer for a Havertown man on a driving under the influence charged in Montgomery County. He was on a bicycle at the time.

3 age of girl missing and believed abducted by her mother’s boyfriend after a domestic incident in North Philadelphia.

1 person killed and five others seriously injured in what is now being termed a case of road rage taken to the extreme on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia. A man is charged with repeatedly slamming his car into another, leading to the fiery crash.

9 lawmakers calling for a special session on ethics in Harrisburg in the fallout from the latest capital controversy.

50 year-old wedding ring that was found in the sands of the Jersey shore by a crabber. Now they’re looking to return the ring to its rightful owner. The date inside indicates the person was married June 1, 1958. It’s inscribed with “EPH to MH.”

2 newlyweds from Chester County who face jail time after entering pleas in a series of car break-ins, some of which occurred in Delaware County. The duo are believed to have enlisted some kids in Marple in their heists.

17 years ago, that’s the last time consumer prices shot up by as much as they did in June. The consumer price index was up 1.1 percent.

1 female CEO in the history of Sunoco. That would be Lynn Laverty Elsenhans, who was named Wednesday to replace John Drosdick, who is retiring.

276 point surge for stocks yesterday, apparently boosted by an unexpected drop in oil prices.

4.15 a gallon, what we’re still paying for gas. Funny how long it takes for the price to come down, as opposed to when it’s headed the other way.

4 years left on his deal for Lito Sheppard, the unhappy Eagles cornerback who hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent him.

3 games with the Marlins in South Florida starting Friday night as the Phils kick off the second half of the season.

.5 game lead for the Phils over the Mets, 1.5 over the Marlins. The Phils head to the Big Apple for three starting Monday night.

*Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Someone please tell me Brett Myers is ready to return to the Phillies starting rotation as the stud he was supposed to be when he was tabbed to pitch the season opener. Myers may be on the Hill Wednesday night in the Big Apple.*I Don’t Get It: Anyone else notice how the talk of reform in Harrisburg always comes on the heels of the latest scandal. And how fast business usually returns to normal once the ink on the headlines fades.

*Today’s Upper: The people of Collingdale are showing how to respond to mindless racial vandalism, by rallying around the Bailey family, who saw their cars damaged by vandals. Well done.

*Quote Box: “Most practical at this time would be lethal removal of deer.”

-- Report from the Natural Lands Trust in recommending a hunt to thin deer herd on the former Haverford State Hospital property.

A lesson in Collingdale

They returned home from church recently to find an ugly discovering waiting for them on their usually quiet street.

Someone had carved racist graffiti onto their cars, spray-painted both vehicles and slashed the tires.

Irene Bailey and her family are African-American. They reported the incident to police. It is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

It would be natural for the Bailey family to lash out at such mindless actions.

They’re taking another tack.

Irene Bailey has forgiven the vandals and is urging her family to do likewise.

“I hope they come to their senses and realize people work hard to provide for their families and loved ones and they should take pride in other people’s property,” Irene Bailey said.

Bailey and her husband live in Collingdale with their three children. While they have been taken aback by the racial vandalism – the latest in a string of recent incidents in the county – they also were startled by something else.

They have been overwhelmed by the support and backing they have received since the incident hit the press. People have knocked on their door asking how they can help. One person offered a check for $100.

There are always going to be a few knuckleheads who resort to such hateful acts. The reaction of the Baileys – as well as the way the community rallied around them – reminds us once again the good will always triumph over evil.

Looking for ethics in Harrisburg

Nothing like a little scandal to get the good folks who represent us out in Harrisburg talking about reform again.

The breast-beating broke out shortly after charges were filed against one current state representative, one former House Democratic leader and a slew of legislative staffers.

It was your business as usual Harrisburg shenanigans, workers whose main job description seemed to be working on political campaigns. One top aide faces charges that he put his young paramour on the public payroll. No one knows exactly what – if anything – she did for her salary. She apparently did it pretty well, however. She also was given a bonus – also on the taxpayers’ tab. Oh, and this guy’s wife? She also faces charges in the probe.

Attorney General Tom Corbett, perhaps feeling a bit of heat in that all those charged were Democrats, assured us that this is an ongoing investigation and he expects more charges to be filed.

Swell.

Now people are talking about reform. Again.

Nine lawmakers are calling for a special legislative session to deal solely with legislative ethics. Which kind of makes you wonder how many Harrisburg pols it takes to discover ethics.

This reform-minded group believes the public has lost faith in our leaders in the state Capitol? Gee, ya think?

We’ve been down this road before. And not all that long ago.

Remember the infamous legislative pay-grab? Our legislators voted themselves a pay hike in the wee hours of the night, then high-tailed it out of town.

The flaming embers they left behind soon erupted into a conflagration. It sparked a voter backlash not seen in this state in a long time. Eventually a sitting Supreme Court justice was rejected in what is usally a perfunctory vote. A slew of legislators were shown the door. Others decided to get out before the public, hot on their tail with pitchforks in hand, could get their mitts on them at the voting booth.

And so once again the mea culpas are being heard in Harrisburg.

“We are under a dark cloud,” said Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York. “We need to get back to the people’s work.”

Yeah, we’ll believe that when we see it. This tempest soon will pass as well.

And the Legislature will indeed get back to their work. Getting re-elected being at the top of the list.

Next question, sports fans

It’s not just the heat – or the humidity – that is making it feel like dog days for sports fans.

It’s one of those rare times when there’s very little going on. The Phils do not get back into action until Friday night in Florida. In the meantime, they’re trying to figure out their pitching lineup and when to get Brett Myers back into the starting rotation.

If the Los Angeles Kings, who have less than a stellar record in their time in the NHL, ever get themselves into a big game and start wondering about that tightness in their throats, they can ask their new coach for help.

The Kings have hired Flyers assistant Terry Murray as their new head coach.

Murray gained a modicum of fame back when he was the head man on the Flyers’ bench. Murray led the team to the Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings. With the Flyers down 3-0 and looking at being swept, Murray summed things up thusly: “Basically, it’s a choking situation.”

His team promptly threw up another loss in Game 4. Murray was relieved of his coaching duties shortly after.

And finally there’s the Eagles, who head back to Lehigh for training camp next week. They made a little news yesterday when it was announced that their disgruntled cornerback, Lito Sheppard, has hired himself a new agent.

And who might that be? None other than Drew Rosenhaus, the man in Terrell Owens’ corner in his battle royal with the Birds.

The Daily Numbers -- July 16

The Daily Numbers: 8 bucks an hour, what former Penn-Delco School Board President Keith Crego is making at his work-release job. He leaves prison each day to go to work, then returns to jail at night under a deal OK’d by a Delco judge.

2 people with close relationships to former U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon who have now been charged in connection with a federal probe of Weldon’s dealings. He has not been charged.

30,000 dollars in fake machine payouts concocted by a Philadelphia woman in an attempt to rip off Harrah’s Casino. She pleaded guilty.

18 months in jail for an Upper Darby man charged with counterfeiting $20 bills. He also has to pay a $1,000 fine.

33 buildings at the sprawling Ridley Towne Manor apartments where residents are being evicted because of code and safety violations.

1 persons believed killed in a nasty crash overnight on the Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia.

2 people killed in a head-on crash Tuesday night in New Castle County, Del.

1 shopkeeper killed and his wife seriously injured when robbers invaded a store run by African immigrants in Philly.

4 people rescued from a fire at a house in Burlington County, N.J., Tuesday night.

85,000 dollars in copper ripped off from four locations in Vineland, N.J., by thieves on a spree seeking any precious metals they can get their hands on to sell for some quick cash.

622 million dollar charge being taken by US Airlines in the second quarter.

5 newsstands ripped off by a guy using a crane to lift them right out of their spots on Philly streets.

12 straight years in which the American League has not lost an All-Star game. That includes one tie.

4 hours and change, how long it took to play the 15-inning Mid-Summer Classic.

3 errors for NL second baseman Dan Uggla, the first time that’s ever happened.

1 All-Star appearance for Phillies’ nemesis J.D. Drew, and one MVP performance after he homered in last night’s game.

*Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.The All-Star break is too long. We have to wait for Friday night for the Phils to get back into action against the Marlins.*I Don’t Get It: There no doubt will be an uproar in Penn-Delco over work release being granted to jailed former school board president Keith Crego. The fact is he’s eligible for the program and there’s no reason why he should not be given that consideration.

*Today’s Upper: They can knock down the Spectrum. Just as they did with the Vet. But they can’t destroy the memories. Where have you gone, Don Saleski?

*Quote Box: “Any suggestion that Ms. Grimes engaged in any inappropriate, illegal or improper conduct with regard to her role as a lobbyist is incorrect and unfounded.”

-- Richard L. Scheff, lawyer for Cecilia Grimes, who entered a plea to federal charges that she destroyed some evidence connected to a federal probe of former Congressman Curt Weldon.

A full Spectrum of memories

In a world of Citizens Bank Parks, Lincoln Financial Fields and Wachovia Center, the little brick building known simply as The Spectrum no longer as a place in our sports and entertainment complex.

It sits like a trailer on the Main Line. You can almost hear the audible “Ewwwww.” From everyone except those who love the place.

That would be those legions of fans who forever will remember it as the place where the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup, in the process shaking off the image that hung around our necks for more than a generation, the entitlement of every Philly fan as a gruff, loveable loser.

It’s the place where the city enjoyed its last championship run, back when the Dr. J., Moses, and Mo led the Sixers to a title in 1983.

And it’s the place where so many of us saw our first big-time concert. Everyone from Elvis to Bruce Springsteen played the joint, and it only seemed like Foghat opened the show for all of them.

Times change. Hell, they’re even tearing down Yankee Stadium.

So it’s not hard to believe that the Spectrum will make way for a glitzy entertainment and retail complex to be known as “Philly Live.”

Comcast-Spectacor, the folks who own the joint, say a hotel will likely anchor the complex at the corner of Broad and Pattison. It will have to be a big one to house all the memories oozing out of the place.

Much like Veterans Stadium, the Spectrum will be just a memory after next season.

Everywhere except in the hearts of the fans who loved the old place.

Buildings obviously age almost as fast as the athletes who play in them.

Another chapter in the Weldon saga

This time two years ago Joe Sestak was beginning to turn the heat up on Curt Weldon in what would become an epic battle for the 7th District Congressional seat.

That race was turned on its head just a few weeks before election day when the FBI raided the home of Weldon’s daughter, and then-Springfield GOP chief Charlie Sexton, an adviser to the Weldon campaign.

The feds said they were looking for information connected to their probe of Weldon’s dealings, and whether he used his influence to steer contracts to the firm run by his daughter and Sexton.

Weldon and his backers are convinced the raid cost him the seat he had held for 20 years as he became a heavy hitter in Washington, known for his strong views on foreign policy and his connections in Russia.

Fast-forward two years. No charges have yet to be brought against Weldon, his daughter or Sexton. It’s uncertain whether any ever will.

But like a leaky faucet, the Weldon probe will not go away. It comes out in dribs and drabs.

Tuesday the spigot opened up a little bit more.

A lobbyist and real estate agent with close ties to Weldon was charged in connection with the probe. Ironically, the charges against Cecilia Grimes of Media stem not from anything she may have done in connection with Weldon, but rather for things she apparently did after word surfaced of the probe.

The feds allege she destroyed records after she was interviewed by the FBI about her dealings with Weldon. Among the things she did was toss her Blackberry personal computer into a trash can at a fast-food joint.

She is expected to enter a guilty plea in federal court next week. The expectation is that she is cooperating with federal authorities.

She’s not the first. A former top Weldon aide, Russ Caso Jr., entered a plea for failing to report income earned by his wife from a firm that had dealings with Weldon. He also is cooperating with prosecutors.

Since leaving office, Weldon has taken a position with Defense Solutions, of Exton, Chester County, where he has been putting his expertise in Russian and eastern European affairs to use.

But the federal investigation that hangs over him never seems too far away. And the drip is getting louder.

All-Star bummers for Philly fans

If the Phillies are going to win a World Series title, they’ll have to do it without the home-field advantage.

That’s because the American League won last night’s All-Star game.

Of course, you probably did not know that. And why is that? Because the game, which thanks to all the pre-game hype and hoopla did not start until well after 9 p.m., then proceeded to take 15 innings to decide. The contest finally ended about 4 hours later, at 1:30 in the morning.

But that’s not even the worst part. Guess who took the MVP award? None other than our old pal J.D. Drew. Yep, the guy who infamously earned a permanent spot in the Philly Hall of Shame when he turned up his nose at the Phils, refusing to sign with them after they made him the top pick in the draft.

More than a decade later, Drew is still Public Enemy No. 1 in Philly, where fans derisively call him J.D. ‘Boo.’ This was Drew’s first appearance at an All-Star game.

Turns out he’s not all that popular in New York either. Drew, who now wears a Red Sox uniform, was lustily booed by the New Yorkers.

Guess that gives him something in common with someone who is actually beloved here in Philly. That would be Chase Utley.

The Daily Numbers -- July 15

The Daily Numbers: 4 letter in the popular expletive blurted out by Chase Utley after he was booed by New York fans last night. Unfortunately for Utley, they were picked up by his TV mike. He apologized.

40 years the Spectrum has stood at the corner of Broad and Pattison at the South Philly sports complex. Not much longer. Ed Snider confirmed it will be knocked down to make way for a new hotel.

3 year-old dog killed in Ridley. Police have charged a woman’s husband with stabbing the pooch with a sword.

4,133 Democrats who have joined the county voting rolls between April 15 and June 11. That’s 41 percent of voters. Republicans still command a registration edge at 48 percent, but it’s getting smaller.

2 people from Yeadon who waived their preliminary hearing yesterday on charges that they assaulted a parking meter maid in Upper Darby.

134 phone calls from Tim Donaghy to another NBA ref that are being reviewed, according to a Fox News report. Donaghy is the Delco native at the center of an NBA betting scandal.

1.4 million dollars, an elderly woman’s life savings, believed ripped off in Montgomery County by a woman financial planner from New Jersey.

6 years in the slammer, what the female half of Philly’s glamorous so-called “Bonnie & Clyde” of ID theft is likely looking at after entering a guilty plea yesterday.

9 days, how long 63rd Street in Upper Darby will be shut down for a reconstruction project on the Market-Frankford El. There is no El service between 69th Street and 40th Street as well.

2 doctors injured in Bryn Mawr when the scooter they were riding was struck by an SUV.

1,500 feet, how high a proposed skyscraper will stand in Philadelphia. It’s expected to be reviewed by the Planning Commission today. It would be the tallest building between New York City and Chicago.

28 home runs for Josh Hamilton in the first round of last night’s All-Star Home Run Derby. And he didn’t win. He fell in the final to Minnesota’s Justin Morneau.

5 home runs for Chase Utley, who went out in the first round.

*Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Utley dropped the F-bomb after being booed by fans during the introductions. Yep, he’s one of us.*I Don’t Get It: A domestic disagreement in Ridley ended when a man used a sword to kill his wife’s dog, according to police. I don’t get it.

*Today’s Upper: Get outside at some point today and enjoy the weather. We’re looking at one of the best days of the summer so far.

*Quote Box: “We are working on the registration numbers to see what we can do.”

-- Delco GOP boss Tom Judge, on more gains being made to cut into the GOP’s registration edge in the county.

Fat lady sings for Specrum

Ed Snider made official last night something we first told you back in January.

The Spectrum, the legendary sports and concert arena that has stood for 40 years as one of the cornerstones of the South Philly sports complex, is doomed.

The place where the Flyers were serenaded by Kate Smith on their way to winning the Stanley Cup, and where a generation of music fans were introduced to acts like Billy Joel and some skinny kid from New Jersey by the name of Bruce Springsteen, has a date with the wrecker’s ball.

Our Flyers beat reporter, Anthony SanFilippo, first reported that the old brick building will make way for a luxury hotel, one of the centerpieces of a huge sports-retail-nightlife development to be called “Philly Live.” It will be modeled after similar sites in other areas of the country, including the harbor development in Baltimore.

Snider confirmed the move on Comcast last night.

“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” said Snider, who is the head honcho at Comcast-Spectacor. “The Spectrum is my baby. It’s one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.”

In addition to being the place where the Flyers turned around a city’s fortune and made us winners – brawling their way to a Stanley Cup in 1974 – it’s also where we last title town moment. That would be when the Sixers won the NBA title in 1983.

Let's cut to the Chase

Chase Utley lost the Home Run Derby last night. But he probably won some more points with Philly fans.

And he did it in a way that just about every Philly fan can identify with.

Utley had a bit of a run-in with fans at Yankee Stadium. The leading vote-getter for the All-Star team was booed as he was introduced for the Home Run Derby. Nothing unusual about that. He plays for Philly. The Phils hold a half-game lead over that other New York team in the NL East race at the break.

There’s also nothing terribly unusual about Utley’s response. What is unusual is that he apparently forgot he was wearing a microphone for TV for the event.

As he was given a lusty Bronx cheer, Utley responded in kind. “Boo? (Bleep) you,” was Utley’s retort, invoking the ever-popular F-bomb.

How do we know this? It was picked up by Utley’s mike.

The All-Star was apologetic after the contest.

“I do want to apologize. It was a poor choice of words,” Utley said. “I didn’t really mean anything by it, I was just joking around with my buddy.”

This isn’t an attempt to let Utley off the hook. What he said – despite it becoming increasingly prevalent in our society – is wrong and he shouldn’t have said it.

Just as almost all of us should not say in any number of times during the course of our hectic days.

Only thing is when we drop that specific four-letter word, our comments are not broadcast on national TV.

The Daily Numbers -- July 14

The Daily Numbers: 3 people killed in the dangerous surf at the Jersey shore. Blame it on rip currents being whipped up by Hurricane Bertha. The situation is expected to remain dangerous for several days.

21 age of man missing after he went for a swim in the Delaware River near the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge.

1 of 2 women visiting Philadelphia from St. Louis to watch the Cardinals-Phillies games who was struck by a car who has died of her injuries.

2 men found stabbed to death in a house in Wilmington, Del.

30 percent, what some experts fear electric rates will increase when caps on costs expire in 2011.

85 years of faith celebrated Sunday at First Baptist Church in Woodlyn.

4 killed in another weekend of street violence in Philadelhia.

9 American soldiers killed, another 15 injured in an attack on their base in Afghanistan.

14 percent increase in ridership on regional rails as commuters look to get out of their cars.

100 years old and going strong for Paul Reyburn, owner of Reyburn’s Tavern in Chadds Ford.

.5 game lead for the Phils over the surging Mets at the All-Star break.

23 home runs for Pat Burrell, whose blast in the eighth Sunday lifted the Phils to a 6-3 win over the D-Backs. But he’s not going to the All-Star Game.

9 straight wins going into the All-Star break for the red-hot Mets.

1 more win for the Soul and they claim the Arena Football League title.

2 Phillies who will be at Yankee Stadium for the Mid-Summer Classic. Chase Utley, who will take part in tonight’s Home Run Derby, will be joined by Brad Lidge.

*Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.Someone explain to me how the guy leading the league in home runs and RBIs doesn’t make it onto the All-Star team? Ryan Howard got jobbed.*I Don’t Get It: Maybe it’s time to re-think the whole idea of fan balloting for the All-Star game, let alone that sham of the final roster spot being decided by Internet balloting.

*Today’s Upper: Kudos to the lifeguards who turned up at Aquatic Swim Club in Ridley Sunday to raise money for the scholarship fund that bears the name of Michael Reagan. He’s the Sharon Hill firefighter who died in the line of duty while fighting a garage fire last year.

*Quote Box: “We are in the midst of a major global energy crisis and electricity is the only energy commodity that hasn’t gone through the roof.”

-- Former PUC member John Hanger, talking about the looming deregulation of electricity and the expected rate hikes that will accompany it.

Business in Harrisburg

It’s nice to know some things don’t change.

Members of our state Legislature and some of their staff are showing up in handcuffs.

Why are we not surprised. This is the same gang that decided to vote themselves a pay hike in the middle of the night and thought nobody would be upset by it. After all, that’s just the way things are done in Harrisburg.

The subsequent pay-grab revolt rocked the capitol. Some long-entrenched members of the Legislature actually were voted out. Others saw the handwriting on the wall and left of their own accord.

Eventually, things calmed down, and the Harrisburg folks went back to business as usual. Sure, there was lots of talk about “reform.” A few measures were passed, including a much-needed improvement to state open records laws.

But this is still a group that too often uses the public treasury as its own feeding trough.

Last week Attorney General Tom Corbett announced charges against a former House Dem leader, Mike Veon, as well as a sitting member of the House, and 10 staffers.

It’s the usual grab-bag of “Harrisburg hustling.”

No-show jobs, work for at least one guy’s mistress, and workers on the state payroll whose main job seemed to be doing campaign work. It’s often jokingly said that the primary job of a politician is getting re-elected. These guys apparently took that literally.

Corbett says he is not done. That he expects more people to be charged, and that, contrary to his critics, he is not simply targeting Democrats in an election year.

We’re not surprised. This is Harrisburg, after all. Like we said, some things don’t change.

A snub of All-Star proportions

Raise your hand if you think Ryan Howard got ripped off off in the voting for the National League All-Star team? Thought so.

Look, it’s one thing for Howard not to be voted into the starting lineup. He had a horrible start, with a batting average that floated around the Mendoza line much of the spring.

But Howard, as he usually does, has been heating up. And even his horrific start didn’t really affect his production. Howard’s numbers are eye-popping.

He has 28 home runs and 84 RBIs. Both are tops in the National League. But he does not have a spot on the NL All-Star team. Know the last time that happened? Try 1948, and Hank Sauers. Manager Clint Hurdle could have added Howard to the spot vacated by an injured Alfonso Soriano. Instead he chose David Wright of the Mets.

Tonight’s Home Run Derby will be held without Howard as well, which kind of makes the whole thing a joke. Only it’s probably not all that funny to Howard, whose vote totals were dwarfed by those of starter Lance Berkman.

Here’s another oddity. How can Chase Utley be the top vote-getter, and Howard be nowhere in sight on the balloting?

Then there’s Pat Burrell. No, he’s not on the team either. He missed his chance when he was not voted into the last spot by the gimmicky Internet voting. So Burrell went out Sunday and put an exclamation point on his absence by blasting a game-winning homer in the eighth. It assured the Phils a win over the Diamondbacks, another series win, and that they would finish the break in first place in the NL East.

In the big picture, that’s what’s really important. Still, it rubs us the wrong way to see a young star such as Howard get so obviously snubbed.

The Daily Numbers -- July 11

The Daily Numbers: 4 bucks, what it likely will cost you to use the Commodore Barry Bridge into Jersey come September. The DRPA wants a dollar toll hike, followed by another buck in 2010.

10 million dollars, what the DRPA kicked into the Chester stadium and economic development project. Officials said yesterday in announcing the toll hikes they would not use any of the toll money for any future such projects.

23 million dollars that is needed for a redecking project on the Barry Bridge.

2 elderly residents forced out of their home when flames roared through a residence on East 24th Street in Chester Thursday night.

3 alarm blaze that left a family homeless in Upper Darby.

12 people charged in what is being referred to as “bonus-gate” in Harrisburg, including a current state rep and the former House Democratic whip.

2 fans from St. Louis in town for the Phils-Cards series who suffered serious injuries when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver while jogging last night on Broad Street near the stadium.

18 age a person will have to be to cruise Christiana Mall without parental supervision after 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night, starting tonight.

3G that’s the hot new Apple iPhone that goes on sale this morning. The 8-gigabyte version goes for $199, with a 16-gig version setting you back $299.

3.5 percent pay hike for members of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police under a new 1-year deal the union reached with the city.

19 billion bucks, what Dow Chemical Co. will fork over to buy the venerable giant of the Philly chemical world, Rohm and Haas.

30 governors from across the nation who will spend the weekend in Philly for the National Governors Association meeting.

1 cent dip in price of gasoline in the region, according to AAA. Gas now will set you back a cool $4.15 a gallon, or about what it will cost to cross the Commodore Barry Bridge.

5.5 year stint as head of the state Department of Environmental Protection for Kathleen McGinty. She announced yesterday she will be leaving the Rendell Administration.

200 people believed involved in a melee that sparked a huge police response last night on Reno Street in West Philly.

41 years, how long the Francisan fathers have been a presence at Archbishop Ryan High School. That will come to an end because there are not enough priests to staff the facility.

2 home runs for Phils slugger Ryan Howard yesterday to lead the Phils to a 4-1 win over the Cards.

27 dingers for Howard, who overtook teammate Chase Utley for the National League lead.

3 RBIs for Howard, who now sits at 83, also tops in the National League.

7 strong innings for Jamie Moyer, who held the Cards to just 1 run to pick up his 8th win of the year.

*Call me a Phanatic:A look at the ups and downs of being a Philadelphia sports fan.I know Ryan Howard struggled early in the season. But how can the National League hold an All-Star game and not have the league’s leading home run and RBI man at the game?*I Don’t Get It: A group of teens in Delaware are suspected of pouring lighter fluid on a cat and setting it on fire. The kitten did not survive.

*Today’s Upper: Maybe this will make your Friday go a little faster. Try not to look outside. It’s a gorgeous day. The good news is that it’s supposed to stay that way for most of the weekend.

*Quote Box: “Let me make this perfectly clear: This is not the conclusion. This is an ongoing investigation.”

-- State Attorney General Tom Corbett, in announcing charges against 12 state elected officials and employees in the “bonus-gate” probe in Harrisburg.

Did stadium money take a toll?

Looks like they set up that deal for the soccer stadium in Chester just in time.

You might remember that one of the final links in the financing puzzle that will bring Major League Soccer to Chester – and a $115 million, 18,500-seat stadium to the city’s riverfront – was a $10 million “contribution” from the Delaware River Port Authority.

Maybe you’ve heard of them. They’re the folks who run the four major bridges that connect Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including the Commodore Barry Bridge in Chester.

They were in the news yesterday. They need more money. And they know where to look for it: the people who use those bridges every day.

DRPA officials announced Thursday they will seek a rate hike for the four spans. They want a dollar more in September, and then another buck increase in 2010. That means it will cost $4 to go over the bridge in September, with $5 not far off in the future. DRPA also said it would like to see future increases tied to inflation to keep pace with rising costs.

The timing could not be worse. Drivers already are paying “through the nozzle” as gas prices head for the stratosphere, sitting right now at a robust $4.15 a gallon on average.

But the timing is especially lousy for DRPA for another reason as well. Officials have been getting an earful over their penchant to use money for redevelopment projects along the river, instead of solely for insfrastructure, repairs on the bridges or maybe even lower bridge tolls.

The Chester stadium is not the only benefactor from DRPA’s largesse. Other sites also have been the beneficiary, including Lincoln Financial Field, the Kimmel Center, the National Constitution Center, and Campbell Field in Camden.

Yesterday, in announcing their fare hike requests, DRPA officials conceded they have heard the complaints from the fare-paying public. And they’re cutting off the gravy train.

Officials vowed not to use any of the anticipated revenue for anything other than their primary mission, operating the bridges.

“Going forward, I want to assure you that new moneys raised from these proposed toll increases will not be used for economic development projects,” said DRPA boss John Matheussen. “Our efforts and the toll money will be dedicated to our assets, our bridges and PATCO.”

None of which is likely to make those forking over another buck to cross the bridge especially happy.

But think of it this way: Consider the grand view of the Chester stadium you’ll have as you head over the Commodore Barry. After all, the stadium is going to sit almost directly underneath the majestic span.

Kids get 'malled'

When I was a kid they called us “townies.” We hung out on street corners. When we got our driver’s licenses, we drove around town, trying desperately to look as cool as possible.

Of course, that was when gas was selling for 50 cents a gallon and you and your buddies could ride around all Saturday night on a couple dollars of gas. Today, you can’t fill up your lawn mower for that.

I suppose today’s counterpart would be called “mall rats.” That’s what kids do. Instead of hanging out on the corner, they congregate at the mall.

But starting tonight in Delaware, they’re going to have some company – their parents. Or they will have to find a new spot to try to look cool.

That’s because Christiana Mall tonight will become the first shopping mall in the region to institute something of a curfew.

From 5 p.m. to closing, teens under 18 will need to be accompanied by a parent on Friday and Saturday nights.

The mall is serious about this, and will apparently have security guards checking the doors. Imagine that, being carded as you enter the mall.

This has been sparked by complaints about the large groups of unsupervised kids hanging out.

A Christiana Mall spokesman said a similar plan is in place at some 50 shopping centers across the nation. But for now they’re the only one with such a policy in this area. But apparently he has gotten lots of calls – and support – from other regional malls that will be watching closely to see how the new plan goes over.

It’s not going over all that well with kids. One group already is planning a boycott of the facility. I don’t think that’s going to work.

Most kids go to the mall for the precise reason of getting out of the house – and out from under their parents’ watchful eyes – if only for a few hours. And it seems to me that lots of parents actually like the idea of dropping the kids off at the mall. At least they know where they are.

Now kids and parents have a choice. Do they all go to the mall together, or do kids find another place to hang out?

One thing’s for certain. I don’t think they’re going back to riding around town in their cars? Who has that kind of money?

Then again, if I know anything about kids, that might be preferable to strolling the local mall with mom and dad.

All-Star numbers for Ryan Howard

Yesterday I wrote about the possibility that Ryan Howard just might be ready to lift this Phillies team on his broad shoulders and carry them through the summer.

Maybe Ryan was reading. He went out yesterday and put an fairly emphatic exclamation point on the issue. Howard had two home runs as the Phils beat the Cards, 4-1. The Phils took two of three and now welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to town for a weekend set before breaking for the All-Star Game.

Speaking of that break, it couldn’t come at a worse time for Howard. He’s starting to heat up, and now leads the National League in homers with 27, blowing by teammate Chase Utley. Howard also sits atop the heap of RBI leaders with 83 after driving in three of the Phillies four runs yesterday.

But Howard is getting some unexpected time off next week. That’s because the Major League’s home run leader is not going to the All-Star Game. Howard trailed badly in the voting for first base. One way to look at it is that most of the voting took place while Howard was struggling mightily earlier in the year. But the numbers speak for themselves. The guy is a former rookie of the year and MVP, but he didn’t get as much as a sniff from the fans when it comes to the All-Star voting.

Burrell was one of the players eligible for the ridiculous final roster spot that is determined by Internet voting. He lost out to Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart. Burrell finished third. He shouldn’t feel too badly about it. Burrell is having a solid year. But this idea of people sitting in front of computers constantly punching in online votes for their favorite is a sham.

Howard is another story. He actually still could make the team. Starter Alfonso Soriano of the Cubs has been scratched because of an injury. NL All-Star Manager Clint Hurdle of the Rockies already has inserted his own left-fielder Matt Holliday in the starting lineup, but there’s still an opening on the NL All-Star roster.

Howard deserves that spot. If he does not make it, he will become the first player leading his league in both homers and RBI not to make the team since the same ignominy befell Hank Sauer in 1948

The All-Star voting is questionable enough. The final roster vote is just a joke. There would be nothing funny about Howard not making the team.

About Me

Phil Heron has been editor of the Delaware County Daily Times and Delcotimes.com since 1999 and worked in the newspaper racket since 1978. He uses this site to turn back the curtain a bit on the great mystery involved in creating a newspaper and website every day, and his other general thoughts on life and the news.